In the 15 chapters of this book, a diverse group of writers explores the unique structure of the chawl, all the while considering a complicated and interwoven set of themes and questions. While many of these questions remain unanswered, we struggle with them because, at their heart, they are the questions of Mumbai itself. With vacant land being non-existent, the demolition of the chawls is going to redefine the skyline of south and central Mumbai. The chawls ...
Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion and the second largest after Christianity. There are an estimated 1.57 billion followers of Islam spread across the globe accounting for one out of every four persons and representing diverse social and cultural traditions.Yet, surprisingly, little is known about them and their contribution to the communities they live in either as native citizens or immigrants. This lack of awareness, partly a result of paucity ...
In the past decade, militant Hindu nationalism has emerged as a dominant political force in India, and it looks set to stay in the absence of a credible challenge from centrist and left parties. The pursuit of an exclusivist agenda of ‘cultural nationalism’ (Hindutva) by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiv Sena, and an assortment of other groups, that comprise the ‘Sangh Parivarâ€, is seen as a threat to India’s pluralist traditions. The liberal ...